Mer
by balakafalata
Summary: Harry gets a creature inheritance. He is a merman. He must choose what world he belongs in before the choice is made for him. not slash
1. Prologue

**Really short but the chapters will get longer, I just had to put this out there before continuing. There are a lot of inheritance stories out there and I hope this one is different. I need to know how many people are actually interested before committing. I do not own Harry Potter or the world that he lives in.**

The first thing that Harry did the morning of his sixteenth birthday was rush to the bathroom and check the mirror. At the end of last year, between the ministry incident and His death, all of the students had done a study on how to prepare for their sixteenth birthdays. Even though the seventeenth year is the one where a witch or wizard is considered an adult, they come into their inheritance on the sixteenth. For most wizards it consists of a power boost.

There are, of course, the occasional creature inheritances; but creatures are overall more lenient on hybrids than humans are, so most hybrids are taught by their creature families. Harry had researched the Potter line and was _almost_ positive that there would be no surprises (A/N yeah right, there wouldn't be a story that way), but knowing his luck there just might be. Back to the reason he checked the mirror. According to Ron, the process was supposed to hurt, a lot. Not cruciatus hurt, but enough to take notice of. True to tradition, Harry had stayed up till midnight to wish himself a happy birthday and prepare for his inheritance, when he fell asleep. He wasn't exactly sure what was supposed to happen, but he doubted that he could have missed it.

As he worried about whether or not he actually got an inheritance, he remembered that the Dursleys were gone for the day, so at least if there was something wrong with him he could probably fix it before they got back. Harry looked into the mirror and sighed in relief. He looked the same, no extra or missing limbs at least.

The phrase 'oops, I spoke too soon' came to his mind as he doubled over in pain. He fell to the cold tile floor and writhed for a few seconds. zit definitely wasn't as bad as the crutiatus, but it still hurt. It was a burning feeling in his stomach that spread to his toes, fingers and even his hair. But almost as soon as it started, it stopped.

Harry once again got up to look into the mirror. Once again he wasn't any different. Slightly disappointed, he got a bath ready deciding to relax in the time the Dursleys were gone. Deciding to treat himself, he even added some of Aunt Petunia's bath salts. This turned out to be a bad idea as after a few seconds his skin started to rearrange itself, like he had taken a polyjuice potion. Once it was finished, he stared at himself. He now had an emerald tail, his fingers even had webbing in between them. Harry groaned. This is just his luck to be a merman of all the possible magical creatures he could have been.

It was at that moment that he remembered something he hadn't even known he had forgotten. It was a dream that in his current state seemed to be right in front of him. A mermaid was swimming his field of vision. He recognized her, but he didn't. She had his eyes, his mother's eyes but she wasn't his mother. He hadn't gotten the mer gene from the Potter line; he got it from the Evans line.


	2. Dive

**Thank everyone who read. I was surprised that so many people liked it. **

**There are so many red squiggly lines under the words it looks funny.**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Satsukifujin:Thank you so much for reviewing. I cannot believe that this is the first mer-harry story! His tail (and eyes) are beautiful.**

**Thank you, , for reviewing**

The first question that Harry considered was whether or not to tell anyone. Now that he wasn't technically human anymore, he was subject to all of the wizarding world's prejudices. He didn't know anything about merpeople besides what he figured out from the second task. He lay in the bathtub going through a mental list of all of his friends and their responses.

Ron would freak out. Hermione would go on a reading spree trying to find out everything there was to know. Mrs. Weasley would be sympathetic and motherly annoying. Ginny would freak out. Fred and George would try to get him to change at odd times by dumping water on him, probably in the middle of something important. Sirius was dead. Remus had been so depressed since Sirius's death that he was nowhere to be found. After keeping so many secrets from him, Dumbledore just could not be trusted.

Harry sighed, _Well that leaves, me_, he thought. He decided to get out of the bathtub before his skin got all pruny, then he laughed because he was a merman, his _natural_ habitat was the water, his skin wouldn't get pruny. He maneuvered himself so that he was sitting on the edge of the tub with his tail on the inside and reached for his towel. He cursed the fact that it was so far away when he fell on his butt with his tail halfway out of the tub. The phrase 'fish out of water' came to his mind as he tried to flip over and, without bruising his tail, get out of the tub. As he was in the process of flipping, his tail shrunk and separated to become legs again, and his skin contracted back to its original state. Confused but relieved, he towel dried himself and left the bathroom to his own room.

He went in while trying not to look at the various locks on the outside of his door. The Dursleys might not use them anymore, but they still brought painful memories. Once in his room, he saw a large barn owl sitting next to Hedwig and man did she look pissed at it. As soon as Harry went near it, it dropped off its letter and left, making Hedwig very happy. He sat on his cot to read the letter and Hedwig sat on his shoulder. It was his OWL results

O- outstanding

E- exceeds expectations

A- acceptable

P- poor

D- dreadful

T- troll

Care of Magical Creatures - O

Charms - E

Defense Against the Dark Arts - O

Divination - P

Herbology - E

History of Magic - A

Potions - E

Transfiguration - E

Attached to the OWL letter was another one. This one was from Professor McGonagall. It had congratulations on the results and she said that she would talk to Professor Snape about letting Harry into NEWT Potions. Harry wrote back a note telling her not to bother with NEWT Potions. He gave an excuse about how he didn't want special treatment, but he didn't think he could be an Auror and a merman. Would the Ministry let him? If they did what if he got wet on a mission? It would be so embarrassing. He let Hedwig go; the other owl probably hadn't expected him to reply.

* * *

The next month was uneventful after that. He made sure not to take any showers, only baths when the Dursleys weren't home. On September first, Mad-eye and Tonks came to get him. The Dursleys had made sure that they were out of the house. After walking down the street Mad-eye and Tonks grabbed onto his arms and apparated to the train station.

"Harry, how you doin' mate? Have a good summer?" Ron greeted him as soon as he stepped onto the platform.

"Oh, you know. Same old, same old. Nothing special."

"What, no special inheritance? I told you not to worry about it so much. If you were a creature, I'm sure Dumbledore would have told you."

"You mean just like he told me about the prophesy?" Harry was still angry about that, but it was very likely that Dumbledore hadn't known about the mer gene because it wasn't from the Potters.

"Sorry, sorry. But now you don't have to worry about it, right?"

"Yeah."

They waited for a bit until Hermione got there. He got a speech from her too about not worrying so much. He laughed with them, but not at how silly he was at worrying but at the irony. He had every right to worry.

They were sitting on the train, talking with Neville and Luna. He looked at them like he they had just met. He knew that he knew them, he just couldn't remember. He remembered everything they had gone through together but it was like he wasn't there. He didn't want to be there. The things they were talking about, he wasn't a part of that. He was different.

It was as soon as he stepped off the train that he heard the song. It was like the singing of whales or dolphins. It was the call of the sea.

He followed it, ignoring his friends' questions of 'where are you going?' and 'What's wrong?' the song drew him in, past the first years to the edge of the great lake. The water was shimmering in the moonlight, it was so beautiful. There was the song, it was like a lullaby he had always known but just now remembered. He felt that if he listened long enough he would remember the words. He dove.


	3. Path

**Not a very exciting chapter, sorry. The rest of it will be out shortly. Maybe tomorrow  
**

**Thank yous to Jayde Alyxandre, , angelkitty77, and midnights shadow 13**

**Valgal37: Harry will not be in a romantic relationship. Sorry**

**Slytherin Mistress 1: Thanks for reviewing. This was supposed to be the chapter where people started interacting more, but that didn't exactly work out. I'm working on it though.**

**Giosseppe: Thanks and I completely forgot about charms and transfiguration so thanks again for reminding me, I will fix it.**

_There was the song, it was like a lullaby he had always known but just now remembered. He felt that if he listened long enough he would remember the words. He dove._

Down. Into the water. So deep that the light of the dryworld was barely visible. He didn't need the light to see. He once again felt his skin modifying itself for its new environment, but it didn't feel new. For the first time since he first came to Hogwarts, he felt as if he was coming home not entering a strange new place. The water was not warm nor cold, it was more like he was swimming through air. For a while, he just drifted, reveling in the feeling of freedom. The weight on his shoulders lifted and now that he was in the water, he felt as if the song was vibrating around him. He followed the source even further into the lake.

There, floating in the lake was a city. The buildings sparkled and Harry could see outlines of movement and people. He swam to the gates of the city. Merpeople were gathering from every which way. All were singing the song:

Vois sur ton chemin  
Gamins oubliés égarés  
Donne leur la main  
Pour les mener  
Vers d'autres lendemains

It was a foreign language, but Harry found himself swaying to the song and learning the words. He followed the flow of people. They were all heading towards the edge of the city.

Sens au coeur de la nuit  
L'onde d'espoir  
Ardeur de la vie  
Sentier de gloire

Long before he got to the edge of the city, he saw the Gate. It was a large ring. It was covered in seaweed, seashells and jewels. The amazing thing was that the water on the other side of the Gate was not the same as the rest of the lake. The people of the city were gathering around the Gate just like Harry had seen people do during parades on the TV.

Bonheurs enfantins  
Trop vite oubliés effacés  
Une lumière dorée brille sans fin  
Tout au bout du chemin

Parents were holding the hands of their children, so Harry took the time to examine them. They seemed just as exotic as he had thought them to be during the second task, though not as frightening when they weren't threatening to kill him. They were beautiful. Everyone had long hair that flowed behind them when they moved. Their tails were colors ranging from cerulean blue to bright sunshine to his own emerald green. Watching the procession of people was like watching a dancing rainbow.

Sens au coeur de la nuit  
L'onde d'espoir  
Ardeur de la vie  
Sentier de la gloire

Harry stood in the crowd, listening to the cheers. Through the Gate came another procession of people. In the center, was the woman in his dream. She was even more beautiful in real life. Her tail was a frosty green and her hair was a sand gold. She smiled to the people and they cheered for her. She joined in the ending of the song

Sens au coeur de la nuit  
L'onde d'espoir  
Ardeur de la vie  
Sentier de la gloire

Everyone surged forward to talk to the woman. Harry didn't even know her name. He watched and listened to her talking with everyone; she called them each by name and talked as if they were all old friends. They probably were.

She looked at him and smiled, heading his way. Up close she looked about middle aged, he could see the faint laugh lines on her cheeks and crow's feet by her eyes. She spoke.

"Hello, my child. Follow, this is a conversation worth sitting for."

He followed her. None of the others followed them, returning to their business and gathering for feasts and celebration.

They walked until they reached one of the many houses. She opened the door and motioned for him to enter. In a small livingroom there were soft, cushioned chairs. They sat and faced eachother.

"Well, I guess I should start with introducing myself. I am Adel Jemse and I am your great-grandmother."

Harry was not shocked that she was related to him, but that she knew that they were related.

"I'm Harry Potter, but how do you know that we're really related?"

Adel smiled at him, "I know because you are the mirror image of your mother, except your hair which I am assuming came from your father."

Ever since he had learned about the wizarding world, everyone had told him how much he looked like his father with his mother's eyes, but what this woman said was the exact opposite.

"Can you tell me?" He asked.

"Yes" She answered.

**

* * *

(1) the song is Vois Sur Ton Chemin from Les Chorists.**

translation

--

See on your way  
Kids forgotten lost  
Give them the hand  
For lead  
To other tomorrow

Meaning in the heart of the night  
The wave of hope  
Ardor of life  
Path to glory

Childish happiness  
Too soon forgotten erased  
A golden light shines without end  
At the end of the road

Meaning in the heart of the night  
The wave of hope  
Ardor of life  
Path to glory

Meaning in the heart of the night  
The wave of hope  
Ardor of life  
Path to glory


	4. Weight

**Yay the plot is about to start. This is the big info chapter. Just so you know I really appreciate constructing criticism, but I know that I am not the greatest writer. I am trying my best.**

**I'm sorry if there is any confusion. This is NOT a Draco/Harry story. They will become close friends but they will not be in a romantic relationship. Sorry**

**Thanks go to AmandaBurke76, giosseppe,**** and** **angelkitty77 for reviewing**

_Ever since he had learned about the wizarding world, everyone had told him how much he looked like his father with his mother's eyes, but what this woman said was the exact opposite._

"_Can you tell me?" He asked._

"_Yes" She answered._

"When we are young, every mer has the ability to change. The ability to become human and travel the dryworld. This ability is lost over time so many young adults leave to study other cultures. My son, Harold, was no different than any other. He wanted freedom and experience, so he left. He became fascinated with the dryworld and often told me of his findings: flowers that did not grow underwater and trees that changed colors. The difference between him and others is that he never came back. I had thought that he was dead and mourned his loss for many years.

Later a young woman came to the lake and sought me out. Her name was Lily Evans. She told me that her father was my dear Harry and that he had forsaken his heritage to stay with the woman he had come to love. He could no longer return the city. He gave her the chance to choose for herself, whether or not she wished to stay here. At first, she had decided that after her schooling at Hogwarts, she would come here to stay. Not long before her graduation, however, she too fell in love with a mortal human and never returned."

Harry looked at her sadly. She had lost first her son, then her granddaughter and now he had to tell her that he could not stay either. He had a prophesy to complete.

He was more than indebted to her. Remus and, he felt a pang of guilt thinking about him, Sirius had told him stories of their school exploits with his father, but no one had ever bothered to tell him about his mother. They had all figured that because she was considered a muggle-born that she had always been disconnected from the magical world. Adel was his living family, far better than the Dursleys because she had accepted him.

"Adel, I'm sorry, but I have duties in the dryworld. A lot of people are counting on me to protect them. I cannot abandon them."

She looked away but looked back at him, smiling sadly. "It's alright my child. As long as it is what you want. However, know this. You are always welcome here, no matter how long you have stayed away."

Harry looked at his great-grandmother, who was willing to let him go, let him make his own decisions based on what _he_ wanted instead of what was supposed to be best for him. Even having known each other for only a few hours, he knew he loved her. Before he knew it, he had blurted out, "I'll come back to visit, I promise."

They swam together to the edge of the lake. It was not hard to get lost when you couldn't really tell which way was up and which way was down.

Suddenly, a shadow from the faint light above covered them. Frightened, Harry stopped swimming. He relaxed again when he heard the sound of laughter from above. He looked and saw a small school of merchildren swimming around a large object. A large object that was moving. He watched in amazement as a large tentacle extended toward the children and they squealed in childish delight as they dodged and swam around to the other side, only to be 'attacked' by another tentacle.

His eyes widened as one of the tentacles came towards him. He tried to dodge, but ended up doing a very ungraceful flop and the tentacle hit him. The children which had followed the tentacle laughed at him as the tentacle continued its assault.

"Come on mister, like this!" One child yelled at him, showing the proper technique for navigating the water. After that there was a chorus of shouts.

"You can do it!"

"Don't be afraid, Squidy won't hurt you!"

"You got it!"

He started to move better; no longer thinking of the water surrounding him as restricting his movement, but allowing it to help him. He started laughing. It had been so long since he had laughed. And now he was laughing while playing with the giant squid as children he didn't even know cheered him on.

"Sorry guys, but I have to go now."

A loud "Awwwwww, but whyyyyyy" followed this statement.

"I'll be back though. Then we can play again and I'll beat you guys for sure."

At first they had cheered, knowing that there new playmate would return, but at the end of his statement, they had started angrily yelling at him, promising that he could never beat them. He smiled as he left, feeling the excitement drain from him.

As he crawled onto the beach of the lake he wasn't sure whether it was the feeling of gravity after being weightless or if he was tired from a) an information overload and b) coming down from an adrenaline high, but all of a sudden, his body felt heavier than normal and when he had changed, he felt a strange twinge in his stomach.

His clothes were thoroughly soaked when he put them back on. He was thankful that Adel had managed to find them though, he didn't fancy returning to the school naked. He walked up the hill, seeing the castle ahead. It was scary in the dark; shadows of the medieval creatures guarded the entrance. It was after curfew but the doors were still open. Harry new there was no point in trying to hide; everyone saw his dive into the lake.

As he stepped through the doors, the first thing he saw was Professor McGonagall. Her lips were pursed and her face was pale. Her arms were crossed over her chest.

"Mr. Potter. To the Headmaster's office. Now." She was so angry she could barely speak full sentences, trying to not yell at him. _How could the boy act so _stupidly,_ he must have realized that everyone was frantic when Weasley and Granger came to the school screaming about how Harry had gone and jumped into the lake. If it hadn't been for the protective spells that Albus placed on him, we would have feared he was dead. Whatever is wrong with him, he had better get over it soon. This boy was in for a _lot_ of trouble._


	5. Ocean

**Now you got me all confused on whether or not this will be a Draco/Harry story. I considered it, but it just doesn't work with the plot I have.**

**I don't own Harry Potter or other related persons. I do own Adel and this story.**

**Thanks go to fairytopian, Sweet-single, Wolf05, DanceswithHippogriffs, Freak in Corner, Brookslocklear, Night-Player, giosseppe, and AmandaBurke76 for reviewing!**

_As he stepped through the doors, the first thing he saw was Professor McGonagall. Her lips were pursed and her face was pale. Her arms were crossed over her chest._

"_Mr. Potter. To the Headmaster's office. Now."_

Harry followed her silently. He wasn't sure whether or not he should be scared, Dumbledore was sure to be furious with him. He almost laughed when he thought of what Dumbledore's face looked like when Ron and Hermione told him that he decided to take a swim before going to the feast.

Beside that point were the rumors that were surely going around about why he had gone. Almost the entire student body had seen his dive into the lake. He really didn't want to make the front page of the Daily Prophet before school even started; but it was just his luck that he would.

They walked briskly towards the headmaster's office that he had probably been in more times than many of the worst pranksters. He wasn't sure if Fred and George had been in the headmaster's office more than once or twice.

McGonagall stopped in front of the stone gargoyle, but before she could bark out the new candy name/password, the gargoyle stepped aside and Harry came face to face with a scowling professor Snape and a sneering Draco Malfoy. Malfoy's eyes became slit with concentration, but he didn't say anything and the two of them stood staring at each other for almost five minutes.

"Mr. Potter has an appointment with the headmaster, so if you two would clear the corridor…"

Malfoy's eyes snapped away from Harry's and he looked at Snape, surprised. "Sorry, sir" he mumbled and the two walked off toward the dungeons.

"Mr. Potter," professor McGonagall chided. He must have been standing there instead of going up the stairs.

McGonagall knocked on the door, then opened it. Harry could not help but notice the missing and replaced trinkets that he had destroyed last year. Dumbledore sat at his desk, his hands were folded under his chin and he looked thoughtful. His eyes were not their usual, twinkling blue, but dull.

"Thank you, Minerva" Were the only words that he said. Harry almost feared that the headmaster would refuse to look at him, like last year. But now, Dumbledore's eyes were boring into his. Harry quickly looked away, fearing that he would be using legilimency on him.

"Professor, I-I'm sorry," Harry tried to stutter out, but Dumbledore held out a hand to stop him.

"Harry, my boy, what has happened earlier today has caused quite a stir among the students and staff. I must ask what in Merlin's name you were thinking!" His voice did not rise, but Harry could hear the anger growing and his eyes almost blazing with newfound fury.

Harry seriously considered telling the headmaster what was going on; him being a merman would be a serious disadvantage in a battle, if they happened to be around water. However, according to Adel, if he never went back to the lake or mer society, he would eventually lose his ability to change. Dumbledore did not need to know; Harry would just wait it out.

Dumbledore sighed, "Harry, I know that last year was a tough time for you and you must miss your godfather a great deal; but _you_ must understand that there are people counting on you. It is a lot of pressure; so much so that I tried to keep the truth from you. But now you know the truth and you must be more responsible. Voldemort is no longer in hiding. Now that you are aware of your part in shaping the future, you are aware that from now on every action that you take has a consequence."

With every word, Harry felt the weight returning. No, it was not an option to stay with a family that would care for him; he had to save the world from an evil maniac. Right now he wished in his heart that he had stayed with Adel, away from the pressure of being the Savior, but he knew in his mind that he had no choice but to kill Voldemort. He didn't know if he could handle it.

"I'm sorry, Professor. Really, I am."

With that, Harry turned to leave the office, but the headmaster called him back.

"Harry, wait," Harry stood at the door, but didn't turn. Dumbledore was not desperate or stupid. "You are hiding something. You are entitled to your privacy, so I won't push you for information unless it starts to affect the war. I do, however, encourage you to tell your friends about your problems and fears. That is what friends are there for."

Harry left the office, barely hearing Dumbledore telling him the new Gryffindor password. He ran through the halls of Hogwarts. He wasn't running away from his destiny. He just needed some time to separate from it. He would come back; it's just that in that office, he felt as if he was suffocating.

He stopped running and looked around; he had brought himself to Gryffindor tower, but he didn't want to stay there this night so he continued to walk. At this point he didn't really care about Filch or Mrs. Norris finding him.

He was in a place that he had never seen before. The paintings around him were not the typical portraits and still lives, but they were landscapes. There were pictures of mountains and forests and lakes and the ocean. Right here, he could almost pretend that he was anywhere else in the world instead of Hogwarts. He could look at the pictures and be standing on the beach.

He sat, staring at the ocean; his back against the cold, hard rock of the castle walls. He could almost feel them humming with life. It wouldn't surprise him if Hogwarts was a living being. Looking at the ocean, Harry suddenly had questions that he wished he had asked Adel. Did merpeople live in the ocean too? What was it like?

A noise from his right alerted him to someone's presence. It wasn't Dumbledore, with his way of always knowing where he was. It wasn't Ron or Hermione out at night; they wouldn't be looking for him there.

It was Snape.

He wasn't snarling or glaring at him. He was looking over his shoulder, at the ocean behind him. Snape ended up walking towards him. Harry considered glaring, but decided it wouldn't do to make bad situations worse. Snape sat beside him and they both stared at the painting. Harry wondered what Snape was thinking about. If he hadn't come to harass him, then why was he here? And how did he know where here was? He didn't ask though, it would ruin the peace, which was something Harry desperately needed right now.

"You do have a choice, you know."

And Harry understood.

* * *

I'm not sure what you will think of this chapter, it's not very exciting and very likely not what you were expecting. Please review anyway.


	6. Questions or Cunfusion

**I know that the last chapter was kind of slow and not very exciting, but I think this one has a bit more plot in it. And it's longer!... I hope  
**

**Thanks go to Bloody Serpent 2, and fairytopian for reviewing**

**Giosseppe: Thank you for being so faithful. Yes, Severus and draco were a bit ooc, and you are right. Things are a bit different than cannon so people will seem to be ooc. I can't be helped**

**Spiffy Squigglemink-mantra III : Wow what a mouthful. Thank you very much for the praise. I thought it was odd that this could be the first Mer!Harry. I knew that I recognized your name. I read your story a while ago…but then you never updated, but then again I shouldn't be one to talk about not updating.**

**Bloody Days of Dust: I love you so much! Thank you for everything that you said! I really haven't planned very far ahead in the story yet so I hope that I won't disappoint you. As for pairings, I love you again! Harry would never marry Ginny in a gazillion years. I don't like bashing people, so I give her a relationship with someone else to keep her away from Harry. But, I really think that Harry won't have a love interest in this story as it would conflict with the plot.**

Harry did eventually make his way back to the Gryffindor dorm room. It was so late that no one was still hanging out. Harry gave a small smile when he saw Ron and Hermione curled up on the sofa, sleeping. He felt bad that they had waited so long and they were so tired that they didn't notice they fell asleep on the same couch. If he wasn't so tired himself, he would have taken some pictures for blackmail material. He also felt bad that they had to sleep on the couch, so he curled up in the armchair next to them.

In the morning, Harry woke up to Hermione's surprised gasp at the predicament that she herself had woken up to. Ron was still dead to the world around him and hadn't noticed anything. Harry blinked tiredly at Hermione's startled expression as his mind recovered from his sleep and he remembered.

That was soon forgotten however, when Hermione realized that Harry was sitting right next to her and was not dead.

"Oh, Harry. You're okay! We were so worried about you! What happened?" She said in a quick succession. Harry chuckled. Her face was red with anger and she had her hands on her hips. She started to remind him Mrs. Weasley. "This is not _funny_ Harry! We were so worried that something had happened to you! What if it _had_?"

"I'm sorry Hermione. I really am" Harry said, his lips still pulled into a small smile.

Hermione huffed and turned toward Ron, who had started drooling. She rolled her eyes and reached to the couch and grabbed a pillow to hit Ron over the head with. "Oh, Ronald, do wake up."

"It wasn't me, it was Fred and George! They did it, I swear!" Ron shot up into a sitting position and covered his eyes.

"Oh, really Ron?" Harry commented, "What exactly did _Fred_ and _George_ do?"

"Huh, what? Oh, nothing. They didn't do anything." Ron tried to look innocent and sheepish at the same time. "Hey, Harry! You're back. Where'd you go, mate?" Ron tried to change the topic to something that he knew would take Hermione's attention away from his 'proclaimed' innocence.

"I- I really don't want to talk about it right now. I'm sure everyone will be bugging me about it at breakfast tomorrow, so let's just, I don't know, talk about something else?" He looked, and felt, hopeful that they would drop the topic and, in time, everyone would forget his little stunt.

"Sure thing, mate, no problem. So, anyway…"

They talked until and after people started to come down for breakfast. Most were too busy to notice Harry sitting there, but the few who did would tell everyone they could when they got downstairs. But Harry was having fun talking to Ron and Hermione. It wasn't like on the train when he had left. They talked about everything they could think of: new classes, Snape, Malfoy, food, and to Ron and Harry's despair, SPEW. He was glad topics like, the Prophesy and Sirius had remained untouched.

As soon as Ron realized that they had been talking for over two hours and that breakfast was almost over, he panicked; and the three of them went their separate ways to shower and get ready for the new day.

The three of them walked down the moving staircases toward the great hall, and they were still laughing and joking with eachother. Harry looked at the smiling faces of his best friends and thought to himself, 'this is why I have to- no, I want, to stay here'.

As expected, the entire great hall went silent as soon as they entered, but Harry didn't let it bother him. People looked and whispered and he let them think their theories on what happened, none of them would be right anyway.

"Hiya, Harry. Have a nice swim?" Ginny joked from across the table as the golden trio sat next to each other in a row.

"Yeah," Harry joked back, "It was refreshing." The group around him laughed. As they ate, he didn't think anyone missed Neville eating only with his left hand, keeping his right hand hidden under the table, and Ginny's missing left. Ahh, love is in the air.

"Harry, are you ready to go?" Hermione asked once she finished.

Confused Harry answered, "Ready for what?"

"Why, potions of course. It wouldn't do to be late on the first day of NEWT classes."

"I don't have NEWT potions Hermione. I only got an 'E' on my OWLs."

Hermione looked slightly put out and confused, "Oh, I thought you were."

"McGonnagall offered to talk to Snape about it, but I didn't want to be a bother."

"It's _Professor_ McGonnagall and _Professor_ Snape, Harry. And I'm sure it would not have been a bother."

"Oh, well. I'm not taking it, so I've got a free period now, when all of you have to go to class." He finished smugly. Hermione huffed and gathered her books so that she could be at least ten minutes early for class. Ron hung around for a while after that, before heading out, possibly to be ten minutes late to class.

Harry wished that Hermione had not mentioned potions class. Because whenever potions were mentioned, Harry had to think of Snape and after last night, it just gave him a headache. He had managed not to think about Snape when he concentrated on other conversation, but now, he had no choice but to consider everything that happened between them.

Harry wandered the halls, trying to think of an alternative, but it seemed unlikely. He accidentally passed a couple making out in an alcove that hadn't realized was there. He blushed and moved on.

Snape hated his father, but Harry still knew very little about his mother. He had no idea who she had been friends with in school, and it was entirely possible that she could be friends with anyone. If Snape had been friends with his mother, it would explain how he knew some of what was going on. However, Harry still did not wish to cross paths with the potions professor if he could help it. It was a vicious circle that only lead back to the one place he did not want to go. The only other person he could ask for insight about his mother would be Adel.

He continued to walk, probably in circles throughout the school, once again passing the hidden alcove. This time, one of the occupants was different, but the other was the same. He considered for a moment, but dismissed a thought. Draco Malfoy couldn't possibly be dating Lavender Brown _and_ Padma Patil. Draco Malfoy didn't date anyone.

Harry really had planned on never going back to the lake. He planned to simply wait out the time period where he wouldn't have to worry about being a freak merman anymore. There were too many unanswered questions for him to simply leave it alone.

* * *

That night, after going to bed early and sneaking out underneath his invisibility cloak before anyone else went to sleep, Harry went down to the lake. This time, he thought ahead and laid out a towel before removing his clothes. This way, he would not be soaked when he went back to the castle.

This time, he slowly slipped into the water and melted into his new form before swimming into deeper water. He had watched the lake water shimmer in the moonlight and was so engrossed in his visions that he missed the small, almost imperceptible gasp from behind him.

He once again reveled in the feeling of utter weightlessness that he felt while under water. He had to shake himself out of it and remind himself not to get too used to the feeling and that this is a one time thing. He could get all the answers to his questions now, and not worry about coming back. The only reason he had to return this time was because he didn't understand everything that was happening the first time. He had been too overwhelmed to think straight.

This time, everything would be clear and once he had answers, he could go back to how his life was before all of this.

.

.


End file.
